Love, Save the Empty
by royal-chandler
Summary: Nikolas is every exception to every rule. He's a hazard to Britt's heart that she never planned for because she'd never been warned that sometimes—rare and sweet and generous times—fairy tales are real.


**Title:** Love, Save the Empty

**Author:** royal_chandler

**Rating: **T

**Pairing:** Britt Westbourne/Nikolas Cassadine

**Summary:** Nikolas is every exception to every rule. He's a hazard to Britt's heart that she never planned for because she'd never been warned that sometimes—rare and sweet and generous times—fairy tales are real.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own GH or any of its characters. I borrowed this title from a song of Erin McCarley's with the same name. It has Britt feels written all over it.

**Notes:** This stays canon up to the 7/29/13 episode, where Nik and Britt are at Kelly's and decide to continue their friendship. This story will also include speculation and rumors of where Britt's storyline is supposed to go.

.

Before Dr. Lisa Obretch meets Cesar Faison, she's an admirable woman, strong and fused with wits of iron. She's passionate in her studies, itching with fire to research and practice, to enrich her country with medical advancement. Her life dedicated to finding new breakthroughs and helping those who seemingly have no chance, she's left unprepared for a beautiful man who's masterful in ways she could never predict.

Faison calls her brilliant and bold, slips bouquets and love letters into her hands so she can't help but to feel desired, wanted. His words like poetry spin her head. She lets him into her bed, her heart and worst of all, her mind. He takes the wonders of her experimental medicines and methods to extremes, turning her hopeful visions to frightening nightmares. What Lisa dreamt, she soon dreads.

Britta, her bouncy baby girl, is sat on her lap as she inks her signature onto documents for a clinic. An asylum.

Lisa presses a kiss to her daughter's soft hair, "Be better. Be good. Be better than your fool of a mother."

.

"Why can't I go to Cambridge," Britta asks, at age 17. She follows her mother out to the gardens. "I got into Cambridge, my scores were better than anyone else in my class. It makes no sense."

Her mother kneels to care to her orchids. She's always gentle with the plants. "Because I want you in America, Britta. You also made it into their elite universities. You're bright. You will succeed there as well."

"This is about him isn't it? He's the reason for you sending me away."

In the last thirteen years of her life, she only remembers having seen her father on four occasions. She recalls the unpleasant and strong scent of tobacco, her mother's tears and the back of a tall, wiry man. If it weren't for the photos hidden in her mother's bureau, Britta would barely know his face.

"You don't owe him anything. Why can't you realize that," Britta asks. It isn't the first time.

Calmly and coldly, her mother replies, "Nothing good is here. I'm losing my way, daughter. I can care for you no longer. You bring me so many memories, amazing and devastating memories. Go away. You enjoy the children, yes? Learn more about them. Use your grandmother's name, Westbourne. She loved you dearly."

Why can't you, Britta wonders.

.

Britt sees her mother many years later. As though she's filled with fever and heartache, her mother tells her about Anna Devane and Robin Scorpio. She learns her father's name and about the family he always wanted.

She learns about the most revered neurosurgeon on the eastern seaboard and sets her sights on what she's due.

.

For a brief moment, after Nikolas breezes past her in Kelly's, Britt's relieved. She thinks it's for the best that whatever's developing between them end sooner rather than later. If he figures out who she is now, he won't be disappointed in the long run. Britt's not sure when his disappointment became a concern for her but it is. Without Nikolas, the mission's clean and there's little to no chance for errors. Yes, her stomach feels like it's been engulfed with lead but it's a small price to pay for the end result, for his safety.

Unfortunately for Nikolas, he stays long enough for her to reconsider, long enough to make her think that one more day can't hurt. Her relief is overwhelmed by her need for a friend, this friend. Britt tries again and gets his attention, gives Nikolas just enough of the truth for him to give her another shot. She makes no apologies for who she is and a small part of her wants him to get the underlying warning and run. Britt's relief when he doesn't is permanent this time around.

Britt convinces herself that she can have him and her lies.

When her mother appears, Britt buries her happiness like a treasured secret. With a stoic face that's years in the making, Britt insists that Nikolas means nothing and her mother doesn't need to worry about him getting in the way. She chalks it up as a coincidence, the fact that it's harder than ever to say that she loves Patrick. She wonders why her love for him is starting to feel less real, where she misplaced the passion to put behind the words.

.

"I'm glad that you called," Nikolas says while they're walking through Wyndham's baby section. The amount of pastels and stuffed animals kind of makes Britt's skin itch but watching a prince push around shopping cart makes it worthwhile. "Our first scheduled outing. I was wondering how many more chance encounters we'd have before running out."

Britt can't help but to grin at that. "What? Spontaneity doesn't do it for you?"

He doesn't shy away from her innuendo, smoothly replies, "That's not what I said and that couldn't be further away from the truth."

"Oh really? I'll just file that little fact away," Britt says, laughing. She stops at a display of onesies, purposely not finding Nikolas' eyes while she continues. "I'm glad that I called too. I was going to do this all by myself online but this is better. It's nice. You saved me from inhaling an obscene amount of nutella cool whip popsicles." She pauses and flicks her gaze back to his. "Well if I'm honest, it's more of a delay. It's supposed to be a high of 91 today so I will be having my fix. I didn't slave over those things for nothing."

Nikolas frowns, "Nutella and cool whip popsicles…that sounds awful."

Britt turns an accusatory finger his way, playfully defiant. "You, mister, do not get question the integrity of the pops. They taste like they dropped straight from heaven." She hesitates for a second, tiptoeing in new waters. "I'll uh—I'll make them for you sometime."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Why not? I refuse to let this blasphemy continue."

He smiles and sneaks a few small bodysuits into the cart. Britt snorts at a light green one she catches eye of—_Birth: Nailed It. _She fingers through the others. "These are adorable, I'll admit. You have surprisingly quirky taste for royalty. I very much approve." Grinning, she asks, "was your son fortunate enough to wear the same sort of threads or did his mother have a tendency to dress him more conservatively?"

Nikolas' demeanor turns stiff. His smile leaves his face and is replaced by shadows. "Spencer's mother didn't have the opportunity to. My fiancée, Courtney, passed away almost right after he was born."

Britt curses under her breath. "I'm sorry. I had no idea."

At that he seems taken aback, regarding her with curious eyes. She guesses that it must be abnormal for a resident in Port Charles not to be up to date on _the_ Nikolas Cassadine's history but Britt hasn't ever thought of him in that regard. He's Nikolas. He's a man who's been more kind and generous to her than anyone ever has, who was enlightened on her misdeeds and deemed her worthy of a second chance. Granted, he doesn't know everything and that guilt still eats away at Britt but she's always thought of him as a person, not a spectacle. She wants Nikolas in her life but not with designs. Anything she learns about him, she wants it offered. She wants to gather from genuine moments shared, not internet search engines.

A couple of silent beats pass until he speaks again. "Growing up in the public eye, I've always been hard-pressed to come across someone in town who doesn't know every facet of my life that's available in countless records and newspaper articles."

"You've treated me honorably, Nikolas." Britt shrugs and simply adds, "You chose to get to know me without outside influences. The least I can do is return the favor."

She learns about Stavros and Helena on the way back to Felix's apartment. Britt finds out that there wasn't only a Courtney but an Emily.

It's the second time in her life that her heart has broken for someone. However, Nikolas is the first to prove to her that the pain can be healed, that while he appreciates her support, he's not dying without it. Nikolas has loved and lost and not gone crazy.

This realization leaves Britt breathless and it's then that she first starts to see the world a little differently.

TBC…Comments and/or Concrit is lovely.


End file.
